Yesterday, a tense phone call took place between former US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to sources from Axios, the American politician harshly criticized the Israeli leader for escalating the conflict in Lebanon.
Trump did not hold back his emotions, calling Netanyahu 'crazy' and accusing him of ingratitude. During the conversation, he stated outright that it was thanks to him that the Israeli Prime Minister avoided prison on corruption charges.
According to sources, Trump warned Netanyahu that carrying out threats to bomb the capital of Lebanon would lead to even greater international isolation for Israel. He emphasized that the current situation is causing universal rejection of the actions of the Israeli side.
'You, damn it, have lost your mind. If it weren't for me, you would be in prison. I'm saving your ass. Now everyone hates you. Everyone hates Israel because of this,' Trump told Netanyahu, according to sources.
A second source reported that Trump was 'furious' and at one point shouted at Netanyahu: 'What the hell are you doing?'. Trump's anger was also fueled by the large number of civilian casualties in Lebanon, as well as the practice of destroying entire buildings to eliminate a single Hezbollah commander.
Another US official noted that Netanyahu's decision to intensify military operations in Lebanon could derail negotiations with Iran. This became yet another reason for Trump's dissatisfaction.
According to an Israeli official, after the conversation, Israel no longer plans to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut. Netanyahu ultimately replied to Trump: 'Okay, okay, just make sure everything gets sorted out'.